The Story of Rock's First Tragedy: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper Killed in Plane Crash REDDIT Hulton Archive, Getty Images Rock ‘n’ roll was still in its infancy when it suffered its first tragedy. On Feb. 3, 1959, three of its biggest stars — Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper — were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The three acts, along with Dion and the Belmonts, were on a package tour called the Winter Dance Party, which was to play 24 Midwestern cities in as many days. But the bus’ heating system was ill-equipped and broke down a few days later, which caused some musicians to catch the flu and Holly’s drummer Carl Bunch to be hospitalized for frostbite. By the time they reached the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on Feb. 2, about a week and a half into the tour, Holly, after the show, decided to charter a plane from nearby Mason City to Fargo, N.D., just across the state line from their next gig in Moorhead, Minn.

As a bonus, Holly would be able to do his laundry, which had been neglected since the tour began. The plane, a Beechwood Bonanza, had room for only three passengers — Holly and his band — and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Holly’s bass player, future country legend Waylon Jennings , gave up his seat to Richardson, who was ill. According to Jennings’ autobiography, Holly teased his bass player by saying, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up.” To which Jennings responded, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.” There are conflicting stories as to how Valens wound up in the third seat. Tommy Allsup, Holly’s guitarist, claimed that he lost a coin flip to Valens in the dressing room. In 2010, Dion DiMucci, who had been silent about that night for 51 years, claimed that he, not Allsup, was slated for the third seat because he was one of the headliners. But after winning the coin toss, he balked at paying $36 for the flight — the amount his parents paid in monthly rent for the apartment where he grew up — and gave Valens the seat.

Local DJ Bob Hale, who was the MC for the concert, agrees that it was between Allsup and Valens, but that he, not Allsup, flipped the coin. Regardless of the contradictions, around 12:55AM on Feb. 3, the plane carrying Holly, Richardson and Valens took off in a snowstorm with strong winds. But the plane traveled only a few miles before crashing, killing all four men instantly. The federal investigation ruled that even though the weather played a large role in the accident, the 21-year-old Peterson was too inexperienced to have been flying in such conditions. In addition, he had most likely misread the altitude indicator, which was different than the one on which he had trained, and inadvertently brought the plane down instead of up. At the time, Holly’s wife of six months, Maria Elena, was two weeks pregnant. The day after the crash, she suffered a miscarriage from the emotional trauma. In March 1980, a long-missing piece of the plane crash was discovered. Holly’s signature black-rimmed glasses had landed in a snow bank and were discovered in the spring of 1959, after the snow melted.

They were brought to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s office, sealed in a manila envelope and forgotten about for 21 years. Upon discovery, the glasses were returned to his widow and are currently on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Rockers Who Died at Age 27 Image of The Day the Music Died| FiftiesWeb The Day the Music Died The Day the Music Died The Day the Music Died February 3, 1959 On a cold winter’s night a small private plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa bound for Fargo, N.D. It never made its destination. When that plane crashed, it claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Three of Rock and Roll’s most promising performers were gone. As Don McLean wrote in his classic music parable, American Pie, (annotated) it was “the day the music died.” Performing in concert was very profitable and Buddy Holly needed the money it provided.

“The Winter Dance Party Tour” was planned to cover 24 cities in a short 3 week time frame (January 23 – February 15) and Holly would be the biggest headliner. Waylon Jennings, a friend from Lubbock, Texas and Tommy Allsup would go as backup musicians. Ritchie Valens, probably the hottest of the artists at the time, The Big Bopper, and Dion and the Belmonts would round out the list of performers. The tour bus developed heating problems. It was so cold onboard that reportedly one of the drummers developed frostbite riding in it. When they arrived at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, they were cold, tired and disgusted. Buddy Holly had had enough of the unheated bus and decided to charter a plane for himself and his guys. At least he could get some laundry done before the next performance! That night at the Surf Ballroom was magical as the fans went wild over the performers. Jiles P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper to his fans, was a Texas D.J. who found recording success and fame in 1958 with the song Chantilly Lace.

Richie Valenzuela was only 16 years old when Del-Fi record producer, Bob Keane, discovered the Pacoima, California singer. Keane rearranged his name to Ritchie Valens, and in 1958 they recorded Come On, Let’s Go. Far more successful was the song Valens wrote for his girlfriend, Donna, and its flip side, La Bamba, a Rock and Roll version of an old Mexican standard. This earned the teenager an appearance on American Bandstand and the prospect of continued popularity. Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holley (changed to Holly due to a misspelling on a contract) and his band, The Crickets, had a number one hit in 1957 with the tune That’ll Be The Day. This success was follwed by Peggy Sue and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. By 1959, Holly had decided to move in a new direction. He and the Crickets parted company. Holly married Maria Elena Santiago and moved to New York with the hope of concentrating on song writing and producing. Dwyer Flying Service got the charter. $36 per person for a single engine Beechcraft Bonanza.

No, the plane wasn’t named American Pie. It only had serial numbers, N3794N. Waylon Jennings gave his seat up to Richardson, who was running a fever and had trouble fitting his stocky frame comfortably into the bus seats. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn’t going to fly, he said, “Well, I hope your old bus freezes up.” Jennings responded, “Well, I hope your plane crashes.” This friendly banter of friends would haunt Jennings for years. Allsup told Valens, I’ll flip you for the remaining seat. On the toss of a coin, Valens won the seat and Allsup the rest of his life. The plane took off a little after 1 A.M. from Clear Lake and never got far from the airport before it crashed, killing all onboard. A cold N.E wind immediately gave way to a snow which drastically reduced visibility. The ground was already blanketed in white. The pilot may have been inexperienced with the instrumentation. One wing hit the ground and the small plane corkscrewed over and over. The three young stars were thrown clear of the plane, leaving only pilot Roger Peterson inside.

Over the years there has been much speculation as to whether a shot was fired inside the plane which disabled or killed the pilot. Logic suggests that encased in a sea of white snow, with only white below, Peterson just flew the plane into the ground. Read this very beautiful poem about the crash Webmaster’s note: In March of 2007 the body of J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson was exhumed at the request of his son, Jay Richardson. Dr. Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, looked at the remains in Beaumont, Texas. A gun that belonged to Buddy Holly was found at the crash site, fueling rumors that the pilot was shot and perhaps Richardson survived the crash and was trying to get help. “I was hoping to put the rumors to rest,” the son Richardson said. Bass took X-rays of the body and found nothing to support those theories. Richardson had “fractures from head to toe. Massive fractures.

… (He) died immediately.” Music 50s On This Day: Buddy Holly Killed in Plane Crash on “The Day the Music Died” On This Day: Buddy Holly Killed in Plane Crash on “The Day the Music Died” February 03, 2012 06:00 AM by findingDulcinea Staff On Feb. 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash. The day would be immortalized as “The Day the Music Died” in the Don McLean song “American Pie.” The Day The Music Died Buddy Holly was headlining the “Winter Dance Party,” a three-week tour through 24 midwestern cities featuring Ritchie Valens, the “Big Bopper” J.P. Richardson and Dion & The Belmonts. The grueling travel schedule and Midwest winter was hard for the musicians, especially after the heat in the tour bus stopped working. On Feb. 2, the tour stopped in Clear Lake, Iowa, to perform at the Surf Ballroom.

Holly, frustrated by the bus rides, decided to charter a plane for after the show to take his band to the next tour stop in Moorhead, Minn. Valens and Richardson, who were sick with a cold and flu, respectively, asked Holly’s bandmates to give up their seats for them. Holly guitarist Tommy Allsup gave Valens his seat after flipping a coin for it. Richardson got a seat from bassist Waylon Jennings, who later joked with Holly about losing his seat. Holly said, “Well, I hope your bus freezes up,” to which Jennings replied, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.” Jennings would say later in his life that the exchange haunted him: “I was awful young, and it took me a long time to get over that.” Holly, Richardson and Valens boarded the three-passenger plane, a Beechcraft Bonanza B3794N. It took off from Mason City, Iowa, around 1:00 a.m. on Feb. 3, piloted by 21-year-old Roger Peterson, who had just worked a 17-hour day.

Flying into a blizzard, the plane crashed into a cornfield shortly after take-off , killing all four men aboard. The crash was blamed on pilot error; the low visibility due to the weather conditions would have forced Peterson to rely on instruments to determine where he was flying. An inexperienced pilot with limited knowledge of his instruments, Peterson likely flew the plane down instead of up. The Civil Aeronautics Board’s official report on the accident states: “This accident, like so many before it, was caused by the pilot’s decision to undertake a flight in which the likelihood of encountering instrument conditions existed, in the mistaken belief that he could cope with en route instrument weather conditions, without having the necessary familiarization with the instruments in the aircraft and without having properly certificated to fly solely by instruments.” Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley was born in Lubbock, Texas , on Sept. 7, 1936. He played guitar, banjo and mandolin by the age of 15, and by the mid-1950s was playing in a country duo with childhood friend Bob Montgomery.

Holly turned to playing rock and roll in 1955, after seeing Elvis Presley perform in Lubbock. “He loved Presley's rhythm—it wasn't country and it wasn't blues—it was somewhere in the middle and it suited just fine,” recalls country singer Sonny Curtis, a childhood friend of Holly. “After seeing Elvis, Buddy had only one way to go.” He was signed onto a record label in 1956. In 1957, Holly and his band, the Crickets, recorded “That'll Be the Day,” which soon topped the pop charts . By 1958 the group had had seven Top 40 singles, including “Peggy Sue” and “Oh Boy!” “Though Holly lacked the arresting sexuality of Elvis Presley, he nonetheless cut an engaging, charismatic figure with his trademark horn-rimmed glasses and vocal hiccup,” writes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Crickets split up in 1958, and Holly moved to Greenwich Village and married Maria Elena Santiago. Maria was pregnant with their first child when Holly was killed , but she had a miscarriage after the accident.

Though his career as a popular musician lasted only about a year and a half, Holly left an enduring legacy . He was innovative in his use of double-tracking and other studio techniques, and popularized the lineup of two guitars, a bass and drums that is used by many rock bands. He influenced 60s bands such as the Beatles, whose named is derived from the Crickets, and the Rolling Stones, whose first hit was a cover of Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima, surrounded by Mexican music but also influenced by R&B vocal groups. He learned guitar and joined a local band when he was 16, and was eventually taken under the wing of Del-Fi label owner Bob Keane, with whom he produced his debut single, “Come On, Let's Go.” He would then release “Donna,” and “La Bamba.” "Donna” was later called "one of the classic teen love ballads" by rock critic Lester Bangs, and “La Bamba,” perhaps his most-remembered hit, “foreshadowed garage-rock, frat-rock and punk-rock,” according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sources in this Story MSNBC: Big Bopper autopsy debunks foul-play rumors The “Big Bopper” Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. was born on Oct. 24, 1930 in Sabine Pass, Texas. He earned the stage name of The Big Bopper in 1957 while working as a DJ at KTRM in Beaumont, Texas. He set a record in 1957 for continuous broadcasting for six days, spinning more than 1,800 records. He would have his own chart-topping single in 1958 with “Chantilly Lace,” and other popular hits such as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Big Bopper's Wedding.” Despite rampant rumors after his death that a gun of Buddy Holly's found at the crash site was fired on the plane, an exhumation in 2007 found that there had been no “foul play” involved during the plane crash .

The Day The Music Died Tweet The Day The Music Died On 3rd Feb 1959, 22-year-old Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, aged 17, died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Clear Lake, Iowa. The pilot of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza was also killed. Holly hired the plane after heating problems developed on his tour bus. All three were traveling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour which Holly had planned to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, in the previous year. The Winter Dance Party Tour was planned to cover 24 cities in just three weeks and Holly would be the biggest headliner. Waylon Jennings, a friend from Lubbock, Texas, and Tommy Allsup joined the tour as backup musicians. Ritchie Valens, probably the hottest of the artists at the time, The Big Bopper, and Dion and the Belmonts made up the list of other performers. The grueling tour schedule had taken the acts to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa the previous night.

Due to mechanical difficulty with their chartered bus, the group arrived at Surf Ballroom less than two hours before the performance. The ballroom was packed with over 1500 fans, many of whom had driven hundreds of miles on snow-covered roads to see the stars perform. Buddy was fed up with the chartered bus with its faulty heater, so before the performance he asked the Surf manager Carroll Anderson about renting a chartered plane to fly him to his next destination in Moorhead, Minnesota. Anderson knew the owner of Dwyer Flying Service in nearby Mason City whom he contacted to arrange the flight. Anderson was not able to get hold of the owner so he called one of the pilots, Roger Peterson, who agreed to take Buddy plus two others to Moorhead. After the performance, the group got ready to travel to their next show on the tour bus. Holly boarded the 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft to Fargo, North Dakota, the nearest airport to Moorhead. Two other members of the group had the option to fly with him at $36 per person. Dion didnï¿½t want to pay, but Waylon Jennings was keen to fly with Buddy, but exchanged his seat with J.P.

Richardson because he had a cold. Tommy Allsup was included in the group, but Ritchie Valens offered to flip him for the seat since he was ill. The local host of the Winter Dance Party, Bob Hale, flipped the coin. Ritchie called heads and won the toss. Years later, Tommy Alsup would open a dance club named the Heads Up Saloon to commemorate this life-saving coin toss. In his 1996 autobiography, Waylon Jennings stated that he was disappointed that he had to ride in the freezing bus, so his parting remark to Buddy was, "I hope your damn plane crashes!" Jennings said this remark has haunted him ever since then. The plane took off around 1:00 AM from Mason City Airport into a blinding snowstorm and crashed only minutes later in a cornfield, killing all three musicians and the pilot. Because the plane didn't catch fire when it crashed, no one noticed the wreckage until the next day, about a quarter mile from the nearest country road. Early reports from the scene suggest the aircraft spun out of control during a light snowstorm. Only the pilot's body was found inside the wreckage as the performers were thrown clear on impact.

The Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error due to the 21-year-old Peterson's inability to accurately interpret the newly installed Sperry F3 attitude indicator, which he was forced to rely upon in the poor weather conditions. The theory was that Peterson may have read the gyroscope backwards as a result of vertigo and thought that the plane was gaining altitude when it was actually descending. Buddy Hollyï¿½s body was buried a few days later on 7 February. Services were held in Lubbock, Texas, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church where over a thousand mourners attended the service. In 1988, Buddy fan Ken Paquette built a monument to the singers, from stainless steel, and placed it at the crash site where the current owners of the land also planted four trees in memory of the victims. Holly is often described as the most influential of the early rock and roll musicians, and has been cited as such by John Lennon and Paul McCartney (McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's catalog of songs).

The death of Holly is now commonly referred to as "the day the music died" after Don McLean immortalised the tragedy with his 1972 hit ï¿½American Pie.ï¿½ McLean has stated that he first learned about Buddy Holly's death while delivering newspapers on the morning of February 3, 1959, and in his song uses the line, "February made me shiver/with every paper I'd deliver." Buddy Holly's plane crash site: person, pictures and information - Fold3.com 9 images The tour moves to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa with a performance scheduled for Feburary 2, 1959. Due to mechnical differculty with their charted bus, the group arrived at Surf Ballroom less than two hours before the performance. The ballroom was packed with about 1500 people, many drove hundreds of miles in snow covered roads to see the rock stars.

Buddy was fed up with the charted bus with its faulty heater, a bad thing in Upper Midwest winter,so before the perfromance, Buddy asked the Surf manager Carroll Anderson about renting a chartered plane to fly him to his next destination in Moorhead, Minnesota. Carroll said that he knows the owner of Dywer Flying Service in nearby Mason City and he will call him to arrange a flight. Carroll was not able to get hold of the owner Jerry Dywer, so he called one of it pilot, Roger Peterson and Roger agreed to take Buddy plus two others to Moorhead. 1 images After the performance, the group got ready to travel to their next destination in Moorhead, Minnesota. Buddy decided to get there first with a charter plane. Since the plane can only seat four peoples including the pilot. Buddy already have a seat , while the remaining two seats were decided with coin tosses. Ritchie Valens and Big Booper win the toss and got on the plane with Buddy. While Tommy Allsup and Waylan Jenning lost the toss ( lucky for them ). And they were to arrive at Moorhead later with the tour bus, which has a faulty heater, a bad thing in Minnesota winter.

In his 1996 autobiography, Waylon Jennings stated that he was very dissapointed that he had to ride in the freezing bus, so his parting remark to Buddy was "I hope your damn plane crashes!", Waylon Jennings claimed this remark has haunted him ever since then. The took off around 1:00 AM from Mason City Airport, Feburary 3 and crashed only minutes later in a corn field, killing all three rock stars and the pilot. Because the plane didn't catch on fire when it crashed, no one noticed the crash until the next day. Feburary 3, 1959 becomes known as the "The Day the Music Die" in Don Mclean's 1971 song, the "American Pie". 01 Aug 2009 Richardson's 2007 autopsy J. P. Richardson ( Big Blooper) body was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumount Texas. In 2007, Richardson's son decided to have the grave moved to a different part of the cemetery, a more visible location so they can ererct a life-size statue and historic marker.

The disinterment offered Richardson's son Jay a chance to ask experts to examine his father's remains to determine if his father had walked away from the wreckage, because his body was found over 50 feets from the wreckage, resulting in many rumors. William M. Basss undertook the procedure and confirmed the 1959 report. The body of Richardson was in good preservation, but showed "massive fractures", showing that he too had died on impact, and no way could have walked fifty feet, as all leg bones were shattered. Since Jay was born two month after the death of his father, he was present during autopsy and finally saw the father that he has never seem. J. P. Richardson body was reburied in a new casket and the used metal casket was given to the Texas Musician's Museum. In December 2008, Jay Richardson announced that he would be placing the old casket up for auction on eBay to raise money for The Texas Musician's Museum. At the time of writing of this story, it is not known if it is still on the eBay.

1 images Buddy met Maria Elena Santiago in June 1958 and they were married in Lubbock, Texas on August 15, 1958. She was pregnant when Buddy was kill and became a widow after barely six months of marriage and miscarried soon after. María Elena Holly did not attend the funeral and has never visited the grave site. She later told the Avalanche-Journal, "In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane. In the song American Pie, Don Mclean refered Maria Elena Holly as the "widowed bride". A long, long time ago... I can still remember How that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while. But february made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside The day the music died. So bye-bye, miss american pie. Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die. "this’ll be the day that I die." Did you write the book of love, And do you have faith in God above, If the Bible tells you so? Do you believe in rock ’n roll, Can music save your mortal soul, And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well, I know that you’re in love with him `cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes. Man, I dig those rhythm and blues. I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck, But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died. I started singin’, Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry.

Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die. "this’ll be the day that I die." Now for ten years we’ve been on our own And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone, But that’s not how it used to be. When the jester sang for the king and queen, In a coat he borrowed from james dean And a voice that came from you and me, Oh, and while the king was looking down, The jester stole his thorny crown. The courtroom was adjourned; And while lennon read a book of marx, The quartet practiced in the park, And we sang dirges in the dark The day the music died. We were singing, Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die. "this’ll be the day that I die." Helter skelter in a summer swelter. The birds flew off with a fallout shelter, Eight miles high and falling fast. It landed foul on the grass.

The players tried for a forward pass, With the jester on the sidelines in a cast. Now the half-time air was sweet perfume While the sergeants played a marching tune. We all got up to dance, Oh, but we never got the chance! `cause the players tried to take the field; The marching band refused to yield. Do you recall what was revealed The day the music died? We started singing, Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die. "this’ll be the day that I die." Oh, and there we were all in one place, A generation lost in space With no time left to start again. So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick! Jack flash sat on a candlestick Cause fire is the devil’s only friend. Oh, and as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage. No angel born in hell Could break that satan’s spell.

And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite, I saw satan laughing with delight The day the music died He was singing, Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die. "this’ll be the day that I die." I met a girl who sang the blues And I asked her for some happy news, But she just smiled and turned away. I went down to the sacred store Where I’d heard the music years before, But the man there said the music wouldn’t play. And in the streets: the children screamed, The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed. But not a word was spoken; The church bells all were broken. And the three men I admire most: The father, son, and the holy ghost, They caught the last train for the coast The day the music died. And they were singing, Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.

"this’ll be the day that I die." They were singing, Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die." 1000+ images about THE BIG BOPPER on Pinterest | Lakes, Planes and February 3 Famous 1950's singers Buddy Holly,The Big Bopper & Richie Valens were killed in an air plane crash on 3-3-1959. March 3rd,1959 is known as THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED. See More Buddy Holly Plane Crash Memorial in Iowa near Clear Lake, Iowa June 1, 2012 Below is a bit of reading about Buddy Holly's plane crash. If you aren't into reading history, please scroll down the page for photos, the sub-menu, and for other navigational options. - On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa killed 3 American rock & roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. The Big Bopper Richardson, plus the pilot, Roger Peterson.

The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song American Pie. The Winter Dance Party tour was to cover 24 Midwestern cities in 3 weeks. The amount of travel was a problem with the tour as the distance between venues was not considered when scheduling each performance. Plus the tour bus was not equipped for the weather and its heating system broke shortly after the tour began. Holly's drummer, Carl Bunch, was hospitalized in Michigan with a severe case of frostbitten feet that developed when the bus broke down en route to Wisconsin. Holly's group was the backing band for all of the acts, so Holly, Valens and Dion DiMucci (of Dion and the Belmonts) took turns playing drums for each other at the Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Clear Lake, Iowa, shows. The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa was not a stop on the tour, but promoters called the Surf Ballroom manager and offered him the show. The show was set for February 2. When Buddy Holly arrived at the Surf Ballroom that Monday evening, he was frustrated with the tour bus.

Holly told his remaining band mates, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup, that they should charter a plane to save time and to avoid the cold bus ride of 380 miles to the tour's next stop: Moorhead, Minnesota. Flight arrangements were made with Roger Peterson, a 21-year-old local pilot. A fee of $36 per passenger was charged for the single-engine 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza 35 which could seat three in addition to the pilot. Richardson developed a case of flu during the tour and asked Waylon Jennings for his seat on the plane. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up" and Jennings responded, also in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes". This exchange of words would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life. Ritchie Valens asked Tommy Allsup for his seat on the plane. Tommy said "I'll flip ya for the remaining seat". Valens won the coin toss and a seat on the flight. The plane left at 12:55 AM Central Time on February 3.

There was a light snowfall with winds out of the south at 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots and a cloud ceiling of 3,000 feet above the ground. The ceiling had dropped by 2,000 feet in the previous hour. Though there were indications of deteriorating weather along the route, the weather briefings that Peterson received failed to relay the information. Hubert Dwyer, owner of the plane, watched from outside the tower and "saw the tail light of the aircraft gradually descend until out of sight" just after 1:00 AM. Peterson earlier told Dwyer he would file a flight plan with Air Traffic Control by radio after takeoff. When Peterson did not call in the flight plan, Dwyer requested that they attempt to establish radio contact, but all attempts were unsuccessful. By 3:30 AM, Dwyer contacted authorities and reported the aircraft missing. Around 9:15 AM, Dwyer took off in his own Cessna 180 to fly Peterson's intended route. Within minutes he spotted the wreckage less than 6 miles northwest of the airport in a cornfield.

The Bonanza was at a slight downward angle & banked heavily to the right when it struck the ground at 170 mph. The plane tumbled and skidded another 570 feet across the frozen landscape before the crumpled wreckage came to rest against a wire fence. The bodies of Holly and Valens lay near the plane, Richardson was thrown over the fence and into the another cornfield, and Peterson's body remained inside the plane's wreckage. The county coroner declared that all four had died instantly from gross trauma to the brain. Investigators concluded that the crash was due to poor weather conditions and pilot error, resulting in spatial disorientation. Peterson was still taking flight instrumentation tests and was not yet certified for flight into weather that would have required operation of the aircraft solely by reference to his instruments rather than by means of his own vision. They also concluded that Peterson was not given adequate warnings about the weather conditions of his route, which might have caused him to postpone the flight out of prudence. A large plasma-cut-steel set of Wayfarer-style glasses, similar to those which Holly was known for wearing, sits at the access point to the crash site. The below photo is stuff fans have left under the large glasses shown above.

Lee Duquette ready to walk about one-half mile to the site of the plane crash. In 1988, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s era, erected a stainless steel monument depicting a steel guitar and a set of three records bearing the names of each of the three performers. The monument is located on private farmland, about 1/4 mile west of 315th St. & Gull Ave. five miles north of Clear Lake in Iowa. Below are close-up photos of the various items that make up this memorial to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. this contraption spins around and around In February 2009, a new memorial made by Paquette for pilot Roger Peterson was unveiled at the crash site. The below photo is stuff fans left by the memorial - including a guitar pick, coins, shoes, jars, eye glasses, pens, rocks, crayons, a Buddy Holly dog tag, a bracelet, plastic flowers, a ball cap, a green stuffed animal and more.

A road originating near The Surf Ballroom and extending north past the west of the crash site is now known as Buddy Holly Place Paquette also created a similar stainless steel monument to the three musicians located outside the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Holly, the Big Bopper and Valens played on the night of February 1, 1959. This second memorial was unveiled on July 17, 2003. Below are more sections of the adventures of the two RV Gypsies in Iowa. You may view them in any order you wish. The page you are on cannot be chosen from here. 1000+ images about Buddy Holly on Pinterest | Ritchie valens, The crickets and February 3 February 3, 1959. Ritchie Valens lies in the foreground, Buddy Holly is next and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson's body was thrown over the fence. See More 'The day the music died'? Hardly - CNN.com 'The day the music died'?

Hardly Story Highlights Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper died February 3, 1959 Event has been called "the day the music died," but it's also day of life Commemorative events being held in Clear Lake, Iowa, musicians' last stop By Todd Leopold CNN (CNN) -- The facts are these: Just after 1 a.m. February 3, 1959, a three-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza went down about five miles northwest of Mason City Municipal Airport, near Clear Lake, Iowa. The plane crash took the lives of the pilot, Roger Peterson, and three musicians: Charles Hardin Holley, better known as Buddy Holly, 22; Ritchie Valens (originally Valenzuela), 17; and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, 28. The three young musicians were part of the "Winter Dance Party," a ramshackle tour that started in Wisconsin.

It has become famous, in Don McLean's "American Pie" formulation, as "the day the music died." The event has echoed through rock 'n' roll history for 50 years, representing, if not the end of rock 'n' roll itself, the close of an era, the end of the first bloom of rock anarchy and innovation. "It was like a curtain coming down," said Terry Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which is co-hosting a series of events in Clear Lake for the anniversary, including classes putting the event in historical context. As they have for decades, visitors have been making the pilgrimage to the resort town about 110 miles north of Des Moines. On Monday night, the 50th anniversary of the trio's deaths, the city's Surf Ballroom and Museum will host a huge concert in conjunction with the Rock Hall.

Expected are luminaries including Graham Nash, whose 1960s British band was named for Holly; the Smithereens' Pat DiNizio, who wrote the song "Maria Elena" for Holly's widow; Los Lobos, who followed in the Hispanic-rock tradition begun by Valens; Texans Delbert McClinton and Joe Ely; and Tommy Allsup, who was a Holly sideman at the show 50 years ago. iReport: Do you remember this era of rock? Share your memories "The vision [for the Monday show] has always been that we go back to the roots," said Laurie Lietz, the Surf's executive director. "There were so many who were influenced by [the trio]. So the tribute concert is really a tribute to each individual." The Surf, which was refurbished in 1995 by a local family (it's now run by a foundation), includes the original stage, the telephone where Holly and Valens placed their last calls, guitars, photographs and a green room with hundreds of autographs. They all pay tribute to the last show for three men.

Don't Miss Surf Ballroom: 50 Winters Later Deseret News: The Winter Dance Party tour Holly, Valens and Richardson were part of the Winter Dance Party, a ramshackle tour that had started in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and headed to small cities in Minnesota and Iowa. The tour, which also included Dion and the Belmonts and members of Holly's backing band, had lumbered along in subfreezing temperatures in unheated buses; two days earlier, one bus had stalled out on a lonely Wisconsin road. By the time the group reached Clear Lake, Holly in particular was ready to bolt. "Buddy was very determined when he wanted something," said his widow, Maria Elena Holly, of her "otherwise laid-back" husband of six months. Listen to Maria Elena talk about Buddy Holly » He booked the plane to fly to Fargo, North Dakota, where he planned to rest up and do laundry in advance of the group's next concert in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the state line. Fargo native Bobby Vee, who remembers the tragedy vividly, acknowledges that he owes his career to the event. The then-high school sophomore named Robert Velline had come home for lunch and heard a local DJ talking about the Moorhead show.

"I had a ticket for the show. I was a huge Buddy Holly fan and a huge rock 'n' roll fan," he recalled, adding that a major rock 'n' roll concert in the area was a rarity. "As I got closer into the kitchen ... [my mother and brother] were talking about this plane crash that had taken place. I couldn't put it all together." But the promoter had decided to go on with the show and invited local bands to participate. Vee was in a garage band, and a friend suggested that they participate. The band, so loose it didn't even have a name, got on the bill. At the end of the night, a local booking agent approached them, and the Shadows (a name Vee came up with as they waited offstage) entered the music business. Vee's hits eventually included 1961's "Take Good Care of My Baby" and 1967's "Come Back When You Grow Up." "It changed my life," Vee said. "I was a 15-year-old. I'd never experienced that kind of tragedy.

I wasn't there to start a career -- I didn't know what a career was -- I was just there to help out, because that's what people do when there's a problem." Rock critic Dave Marsh also remembers hearing about the crash. "I went to the door of our little house in Pontiac, Michigan, and I picked up the newspaper, and ... it was the first thing I saw: Three rock 'n' roll guys dying in a plane crash," he says. "I was 9, but I had an aunt who was just seven years older than me and a mother who was an Elvis fan and who watched 'American Bandstand' every day. So I was aware. ... It was something to deal with, people that young dying." But, indicating the lack of esteem for rock 'n' roll at the time, it wasn't a major national news story. The New York Times put a plane crash on its February 4 front page, but it was an American Airlines flight that had crashed near LaGuardia Airport. The Clear Lake tragedy was on page 66. The same was true for other major newspapers.

iReport.com: How teens paid tribute to the trio "[Holly] really wasn't known to the older generation," said "Austin City Limits" executive producer and Holly aficionado Terry Lickona. "Even in his hometown [of Lubbock, Texas], they were embarrassed by him." The trio's deaths coincided with a period of dark events in rock 'n' roll history, including Elvis Presley's induction into the Army, Jerry Lee Lewis' blacklisting, the record industry payola scandals and Chuck Berry's Mann Act conviction, not to mention the rise of manufactured teen idols such as Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Partly thanks to McLean's lingering phrase, the ensuing years have been painted as a rock Dark Ages, rescued only by the Beatles' arrival in 1964 at the vanguard of the British Invasion. McLean: Buddy Holly was a genius Marsh says that canard, which he has refuted in "The Book of Rock Lists" and "The Heart of Rock and Soul," should be laid to rest once and for all. "I think what happened was that people weren't paying attention themselves and assumed no one else was, either," he said.

"I think it's also a way that glorifies the lack of stars [compared to rock's early days]. That was missing. ... I don't think Roy Orbison had quite the same stature." Which doesn't mean that the music of Orbison, Phil Spector, early Motown or Gary U.S. Bonds deserves to be overlooked, he added: "The quality of the music is undeniable." iReport.com: 'Buddy Holly' performs as final tour re-created What would have happened to the trio in that era is, of course, impossible to know. Valens, celebrated in the movie "La Bamba," was just starting his career and may have produced more hits; Richardson, a former DJ and radio program director who shot some rudimentary music videos, had shrewd entrepreneurial instincts. And then there's Holly, with his songwriting talent, his arranging abilities (he did the strings on "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," his last single) and sheer knowledge of music. Maria Elena Holly, who watches over his legacy, says Buddy had big plans: He wanted to do albums with Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson; he wanted to try film music; he wanted to do music publishing.

"He was a multitasker in every way," she said. iReport.com: Musician discovered Buddy Holly through the Beatles Monday, he and the others will simply be remembered at the ballroom where it's always February 2, 1959, and they're putting on another great show. "When I come to these things, I don't think about [that] this is the last time I talked to him was from here. I think, I'm meeting the fans who have kept his memory alive," said Maria Elena Holly, who admits to getting "a little bit teary" when she hears "True Love Ways." "And that's really what Buddy wanted to happen with his music: He wanted people to enjoy the music, to listen to it and make them happy," she said. "And when I think of it that way, I think at least his dream came true."

Question: February 3, 1959 was known as The Day the Music Died, as a plane crash in Clearlake, Ia, took the life of Roger Peterson, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and who?
Answer: J. P. Richardson